Chapter 5

Aaliyah’s POV

I know I have to talk to Iris about it, as it is one thing to play this game with Max and another to actually have my sister agree to it.

At the end of the day, it's her engagement, and if this plan fails, his home is going to be hers. There's little influence I can make if she doesn't consent to it in the first place.

Wheeling my suitcase back into the estate, I make my way upstairs, returning to the hallway I used to play in years ago.

The rug has been replaced by marble, and the covering on the wall is now a pristine white. I remember our mother yelling at us to stop running in the hallway when we were still younger. 

Her voice would travel through the walls, echoing until it reached us. It used to make me laugh, how it sounded like she was in the bathroom screaming for us to hand her her towel. 

Those were the days I thought I’d have her protection forever. Daddy never paid me any mind when I went playing soccer with the boys in my school, or when I refused to wear frilly dresses for school recitals.

Mom was always there to keep me safe and warm.  

And then, she was rudely taken away from me.

Max took her away from me.

Iris’ room is smack in the middle of the hallway, overlooking the fountain at the back of the estate. I knock on her door twice before twisting the handle open.

Her eyes are on the door when I walk in. She knew I was the one knocking, but chose to ignore me. 

"Get out," she says at once, going back to the suitcase she's personally packing, which is strange because my sister hates doing things by herself. 

“Why aren’t the househelps doing this?”

“Because I don’t want them to,” she snaps, closing the first suitcase with so much force. “Now, get out.”

"You wanted some time alone," I murmur, moving further inside and allowing the door to close behind me. "I get it. Everyone out there stares at you like a princess, which you are, of course. But sometimes, the responsibility can be overwhelming since you are doing it all alone."

She looks at me sharply, and I see all the confirmation I need in her eyes. "That doesn't mean I can't handle it."

"I know, Iris." I plop onto the bed beside the row of suitcases. "You are one of the most persistent people I know."

She lowers her guard a fraction. "It would have helped if you had at least helped me, rather than traveling away when I'd barely found my footing in this world."

I want to correct that Iris has always been meant for this world, but I know that isn’t what she wants to hear. Right from when we were kids, she laughed at the right things and kept quiet when necessary.

Even Mom admitted it. Iris was the perfect mafia daughter while I was off the books. She liked the dynamics.

But Dad didn’t. 

“You did great all by yourself,” I say, smiling at her. “But Iris, I didn’t run away. Dad made me leave. He said he had it all arranged, that I was to start attending a boarding school in Rome. He didn’t give me much of a choice. I was all alone throughout high school. It was hard making friends.”

“He said Mummy’s death affected you so much that he couldn’t leave you around the same walls where she died.” Iris comes to sit beside me. “Is that true?”

Daddy would have said anything not to get his pretty baby distressed, and now, I have to play along with it. 

"I hated that she died," I mutter, since it is a part of the truth. "I walked past that door every day, imagining her body lying lifeless on the floor. I guess some part of me snapped, and I didn't notice until Daddy did."

“I didn’t know you were suffering this much,” she whispers, patting my shoulders. “I should have helped you.”

“We should have helped each other,” I say, making use of the opportunity. “It’s why I’m here now. I can’t let you do this alone.”

A frown works its way to her face. "Don't tell me you are about to go off again about me not getting married to Max, because…"

“No, Iris.” I shake my head, willing to let that go for now. “I have seen that nothing I say will get you to change your mind. You like him so much.”

"I love him," she corrects sharply. 

“Right. But you have to understand that it will take some time getting used to this. And I want to get to know you better.”

“What have you done, Aaliyah?”

“I delayed my trip back to Rome. I need to know you are okay before I leave.”

“I told you. Max cannot hurt me. He adores me.”

I doubt he adores anyone, but I keep that bit to myself. 

“Can I just live with you for a while until I am certain you are safe? I can’t live with Daddy because you won’t be here.”

Iris is about arguing, but I pout in her direction. “Please?”

"Fine!" she mutters after a few minutes of silence. "But you have to promise not to rile Max up again. You were right when you said he's dangerous, but that is only if you get on his bad side. And I don't want anything you say or do to ruin my chances of getting married to him."

"Okay." I raise my hands in the air in a sign of surrender. "But that promise ends the moment he lays a hand on you or makes you hurt in any other way. You won't expect me to stay calm and do nothing."

My sister rises from the bed and moves back to her suitcases, zipping up the second one. 

“The only person who

might get hurt by Max is you, Aaliyah.”